Members of the US-backed Saudi royal family have reportedly been driven apart over the appointment of radical Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz as King Abdullah’s successor.

Nayef was picked by the Allegiance Council, which is charged with the responsibility of determining succession in the authoritarian kingdom, following last month’s death of the previous Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, who died in a New York hospital at the age of 82.

Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, another senior royal, has quit the council in an apparent sign of protest to the appointment, prominent British daily The Telegraph reported on Thursday.

“After informing King Abdullah, Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz announced his resignation from the Allegiance Council,” read a statement posted on his website.